User blog:GlitterInformer/Smile Pretty Cure!/Glitter Force SDC: Episode 48 (Sub), 40 (Dub)
Return to Episode 47 (Sub), 39 (Dub) | Return to the Table of Contents | Advance to the Smile Pretty Cure! novel Japanese title: “To a Future Sparkling with Light! Deliver it! The Best Smile!!” English title: “Friends Forever” So, this is it, guys. We are finishing this season. I started working on this sub/dub comparison sometime in the spring of 2018. It was almost autumn when I first wrote this article in particular. Now, it’s the final part of winter of 2019, and I’m going to finish Smile Pretty Cure! and Glitter Force. I gotta say, it has been quite the fun ride. This is the first sub/dub comparison I’ve ever done, and it’s a way different experience watching an anime as part of a sub/dub comparison rather than just watching it without writing anything down. And at last, after many months, I am finally going to say goodbye to this thing. Well, not just yet. I’ve still got my final thoughts to write, as well as my views on this season’s songs, book, and dubs around the world. Not only that, but the season after this, Doki Doki! Pretty Cure, has been dubbed, too. But be careful, guys. I have heard that it would be wise to bring a tissue to this episode. I wouldn’t know, because I haven’t watched it yet, but we’re about to. Ready? To highlight the finality of this episode, both versions start off with the opening theme. Additionally, the sub’s title card is narrated by all five of the girls, not just Miyuki. Speaking of the title card, the sub I’m watching has an alternate translation: “Onwards, to a Dazzling Future! Let’s Share the Greatest of Smiles!!” It isn’t as faithful, but it sounds better than the one I came up with based on the wiki’s translation. After the opening theme, the dub adds a recap of last episode. 48 01 recap 1.png|Emily: "Last time on Glitter Force." 48 02 recap 2.png|Pop: "GLITTER FORCE!! Wherever you are, COME BAAAAACK!!" 48 03 recap 3.png|Candy: "Well, if I'm supposed to be a queen..." 48 04 recap 4.png|Candy: "...time to start acting like one!" 48 05 recap 5.png|Pop: "Maybe the Miracle Jewel can wake them up!" 48 06 recap 6.png|Nogo: "Nothing can wake them." 48 07 recap 7.png 48 08 recap 8.png|Nogo: "Farewell, little queen!" 48 09 recap 9.png 48 10 recap 10.png|Nogo: "Your reign was a short one!" 48 11 recap 11.png 48 12 recap 12.png|Nogo: "Such AWESOME POWER!!" 48 13 recap 13.png|Nogo: "Why waste it trying to destroy YOU..." 48 14 recap 14.png 48 15 recap 15.png 48 16 recap 16.png|Nogo: "... when I can accomplish so much more..." 48 17 recap 17.png|Nogo: "...by DESTROYING YOUR WORLD!!" 48 18 recap 18.png|Royal Lucky: "What do we do now?" Then, we cut to the action. Pierrot/Nogo says that he’s going to cover the world in darkness and despair. Cure Sunny wonders what they’re going to do now; Glitter Sunny says that Nogo needs a manicure. I’d chide the dub for ruining the mood, but that line was actually kind of funny. Happy/Lucky tells her friends not to give up. Candy’s awake now, so the six use a new version of Rainbow Burst in their ultimate forms. It’s exactly the same as Royal Rainbow Burst, but without the Royal Clock’s face showing and with a new name (in the sub, anyway). Name Change: In the sub, the new attack is called Ultra Rainbow Burst. The dub doesn’t come up with a new name, and just calls it Royal Rainbow Burst. Given how unoriginal this attack is, it makes sense. The beam shooting out towards Pierrot/Nogo and getting destroyed by him is darkened. 48 19 ultra rainbow burst 1.png 48 20 royal rainbow burst 1.png 48 21 ultra rainbow burst 2.png 48 22 royal rainbow burst 2.png 48 23 ultra rainbow burst 3.png|Pierrot: "It's useless!" 48 24 royal rainbow burst 3.png|Nogo: "Ha! Useless." 48 25 ultra rainbow burst 4.png|Ultra Cure Happy: *GRUNTS* 48 26 royal rainbow burst 4.png|Royal Lucky: *GRUNTS* 48 27 ultra rainbow burst 5.png|Pierrot: *GRUNTS* 48 28 royal rainbow burst 5.png|Nogo: "You cannot STOP ME!!" 48 29 ultra rainbow burst 6.png 48 30 royal rainbow burst 6.png As Pierrot/Nogo crushes the beam in his hand, Pierrot wordlessly yells, while Nogo says that the Glitter Force can’t stop him. Right now, I have the same question that I did in Heartcatch Pretty Cure! when its main villain became bigger than the Earth: why isn’t the earth pulled towards Pierrot/Nogo? It’s only due to bad science that the Earth hasn’t been crushed against him and Pretty Cure/the Glitter Force hasn’t already lost. Maybe the power of friendship and hope is strong enough to break the laws of physics. Anyway, Pierrot/Nogo’s hand is about the size of a continent right now. Rather than using his strength to push the girls down to the mantle where they’ll get fried, he just slaps the earth and blows them away. His hand causes a bunch of magma to blast out of the Earth in a giant explosion. Fortunately for our girls, they’re blown away before they can be fried and served to Pierrot/Nogo for dinner. However, their transformations do come undone. In the sub, the girls are silent as they de-transform. In the dub, they groan. In fact, Pierrot/Nogo’s Slap of Doom has somehow turned the Smile/Glitter Pacts to stone, meaning that the team can’t transform again. Pop points out the lava explosion, shocking everyone. The dub adds dialogue where either Kelsey or April (I can’t tell which) says, “That can’t be good for the environment.” Pierrot/Nogo has transformed from a hand back into a black hole, even larger than before. As before, this is not a real black hole; if that were the case, our friends would already be dead. But you guys know that. Anyway, he tells the girls that they have no hope. Pierrot says that Pretty Cure is just a bunch of kids who don’t know what true misery and despair are (even though they were sent into the land of despair last episode??), while Nogo blames them for the apocalypse because they failed to save the world. In the sub, Miyuki says that she doesn’t know what true misery is (see above) but that she doesn’t want the world to end, Akane says that there are still things she has to do, Nao says that there are people she as to protect, Yayoi says there are dreams she has to follow, and Reika says there are paths she has to walk. In the dub, Emily says that the world isn’t going to end, Kelsey says there are still flavors of ice cream she has to try, April says she still has to score a hat trick (three goals scored in one game by one player), Lily says she has to write more comics, and Chloe says she still has to learn geometry. I find it hard to believe a hyperintelligent prodigy like Chloe hasn’t learned geometry yet. I learned geometry in eighth grade, which is about where Chloe should be now. Miyuki says that she wants to continue to live with her precious friends, while Emily says that they won’t let Nogo destroy the futures of their families and friends. In the dub, Emily asks, “Right!?” and the others shout their assent. This display of passion causes the Miracle Jewel to light up. This is tinted in the dub. 48 31 japanese miracle jewel.png 48 32 english miracle jewel.png In the sub, Pop exclaims that the girls’ feelings have called upon the last of the Miracle Jewel’s power. In the dub, he says that Euphoria was right in saying that the Miracle Jewel would be the gleam of hope in a situation of despair. Candy excitedly says that the team can use the Miracle Jewel to transform, but she stops halfway through. Pop then says that if they use the Miracle Jewel now, it will be destroyed, and the portal between Earth and Märchenland/Jubiland will be destroyed along with it. Miyuki/Emily is devastated that she’ll never be able to see Candy and Pop again. The sub gives the eyecatches, which show Candy and Princess Happy. Then, we cut back to our heroes. They’ve been talking for a good while now. Why hasn’t Pierrot/Nogo bashed them again? Anyway, Yayoi says that they won’t be able to see the two again, while Lily asks if the Miracle Jewel is their only option. Akane/Kelsey asks if there’s another way. In the sub, Pop sighs and says nothing; in the dub, he says, “Yes.” Reika and Nao say that they can’t let Pierrot destroy the world, no matter the cost; Chloe and April say that they either have to part with their friends or see the planet destroyed. Either way, they’re going to have to part with their friends; it’s just that the Miracle Jewel will keep them from dying as they do so. There’s no real choice to make. Nonetheless, Miyuki/Emily breaks down crying and refuses to say goodbye to Candy and Pop. This starts a tear-jerking scene in which everyone kneels over and sobs. Unfortunately, it isn’t as emotional in the dub. Not only is Emily’s delivery not as emotionally powerful, but a good chunk of the girls crying is cut out. On a less harmful note, Akane says she doesn’t want to say goodbye while Kelsey tells Emily and Candy not to get her crying, too. Additionally, the dub adds dialogue where Pop tells the group to pull it together and Candy tells him to give them a moment. Here is the removed footage: 48 33 cut crying 1.png|Yayoi: "Me neither!" 48 34 cut crying 2.png|Miyuki, Akane, Yayoi, and Candy: *SOB* 48 35 cut crying 3.png|Reika: *sobs* 48 36 cut crying 4.png|Nao: "I also... want to be together forever!!" 48 37 cut crying 5.png|Reika: "Nao!" Nao: *SOBS* 48 38 cut crying 6.png|Everyone: *SOBS* 48 39 cut crying 7.png|Miyuki: "Noooo!!" 48 40 cut crying 8.png|Akane: *SOBS* 48 41 cut crying 9.png|Yayoi: "Dooon't!!" 48 42 cut crying 10.png|Nao: "We're friends!!" 48 43 cut crying 11.png|Reika: *SOBS* The dub replaces a bit of silence with Nogo laughing. Then, Pierrot/Nogo pipes up. Pierrot says that the girls and Pop are now feeling true despair, and that as much as they valued hope, it left them in the end. Nogo asks how valuable their friends are now (dialogue is added where Emily asks, “What?”) and says that all friends and family do is plunge people into despair as they disappear. Miyuki/Emily concedes that she is in despair and says that she doesn’t know what to do. Candy then leaps out of her arms. In the sub, Candy says that they have to decide for themselves what to do; in the dub, she says that they have to get themselves up and save the world. Candy then flashes back to how much fun they had together. Two shots from undubbed episodes are removed from the dub and replaced with an image of Lily as a kid cuddling infant Candy. Here is the removed footage: 48 44 cut flashback 1.png|Candy: "You were all so kind to me..." 48 45 cut flashback 2.png And here is the added footage: 48 46 added flashback.png|Candy: "We've all had so many fun, happy times together." In the sub, Candy says that she’s going to become ultra-happy just like Miyuki, make lots of friends, and share her happiness with them; in the dub, she asks the others if they remember all the fun they had together. Miyuki/Emily says that even if it means abandoning Candy, they have to do what’s right and save the planet. Emily starts talking earlier than Miyuki does. In the sub, the other girls agree with Miyuki; in the dub, they continue to reminisce about Candy. Miyuki apologizes to Candy; Emily says that they might be able to find a way back together via another portal. Miyuki/Emily says that no matter what, they and Candy will always be friends, and everyone except Pop does a group hug. In the sub, Pop says that everyone has to make tough choices, but they have to keep moving forward and never back down; in the dub, Pop says that this is the greatest challenge the Glitter Force has faced yet, but that they have to defeat Nogo. The dub adds dialogue where Emily and Kelsey tell Pop to let them have their “moment.” Miyuki/Emily then gets up and tells the girls that it’s time to stand up to Pierrot/Nogo. Pierrot/Nogo says that they’ve overcome their despair (Pierrot just notes it, while Nogo is confused by it). Miyuki/Emily says that they’re still sad, but that they’re never going to give up. Miyuki’s Smile/Glitter Pact glows. All five humans touch the pact and Candy lights up the Miracle Jewel. Together, the six transform. The sequence of them appearing in their ultimate forms is tinted. 48 47 ultra cure happy 1.png 48 48 royal lucky 1.png 48 49 ultra cure sunny 1.png 48 50 royal sunny 1.png 48 51 ultra cure peace 1.png 48 52 royal peace 1.png 48 53 ultra cure march 1.png 48 54 royal spring 1.png 48 55 ultra cure beauty 1.png 48 56 royal breeze 1.png 48 57 royale candy 1.png 48 58 queen candy 1.png Pierrot/Nogo once again tells the heroes that they have no chance, as if they hadn’t heard him say it a million times before. Candy then tells the group to combine their powers, and they use their final finisher: Miracle Rainbow Burst. As they perform this, Pretty Cure says, “Pretty Cure Miracle Rainbow Burst!” while the Glitter Force says, “Painting the skies with the colors of hope! Phoenix Power Attack! Here we go! Miracle Rainbow Burst!” 48 59 royale candy 2.png|Royale Candy: "Combine all your powers into one~kuru!" 48 60 queen candy 2.png|Candy: "Now combine all our powers in one big burst!" 48 61 japanese miracle rainbow burst 1.png|Pretty Cure: "Pretty Cure! Miracle Rainbow..." 48 62 english miracle rainbow burst 1.png|Glitter Force: "Painting the skies with the colors of hope!" 48 63 japanese miracle rainbow burst 2.png 48 64 english miracle rainbow burst 2.png|Glitter Force: "Phoenix Power Attack! Here we go!" 48 65 japanese miracle rainbow burst 3.png|Pretty Cure: "...Burst!!" 48 66 english miracle rainbow burst 3.png|Glitter Force: "Miracle Rainbow Burst!" 48 67 japanese miracle rainbow burst 4.png 48 68 english miracle rainbow burst 4.png 48 69 japanese miracle rainbow burst 5.png 48 70 english miracle rainbow burst 5.png 48 71 japanese miracle rainbow burst 6.png|Phoenix: *CRIES* 48 72 english miracle rainbow burst 6.png|Phoenix: *CRIES* There’s a brief respite from the darkening as the relatively tiny beam (which might actually be about the size of Tokyo) shoots towards Pierrot/Nogo. Dialogue is added where Nogo shouts that Miracle Rainbow Burst is “useless”. Then, he shoots his own beam and it looks like we’re plunged back into darkness! 48 73 pierrot beam 1.png|Pierrot: *GROWLS* 48 74 nogo beam 1.png|Nogo: *ROARS* 48 75 japanese miracle rainbow burst 7.png 48 76 english miracle rainbow burst 7.png 48 77 pierrot beam 2.png 48 78 nogo beam 2.png 48 79 pierrot beam 3.png|Pierrot: "Feel the power of despair!" 48 80 nogo beam 3.png|Nogo: "Now, you will feel the FULL EXTENT OF MY POWER!!" In the sub, the girls say that they won’t give up, not matter the trials they face; in the dub, they say they’re going to give their all against Nogo. 48 81 royale candy 3.png|Royale Candy: *grunts* "Candy and the others will absolutely not lose~kuru!" 48 82 queen candy 3.png|Queen Candy: *grunts* "Come on, Glitter Force, let's put everything we've got into it!" 48 83 ultra cure beauty 2.png|Ultra Cure Beauty: "No matter what trials await us..." 48 84 royal breeze 2.png|Royal Breeze: "That's right, listen to Candy! We've got to make this one count, girls!" 48 85 ultra cure march 2.png|Ultra Cure March: "...we'll keep on fighting and face whatever life brings!" 48 86 royal spring 2.png|Royal Spring: "This one's for the championship, so no holding back. Leave it all on the field!" 48 87 ultra cure peace 2.png|Ultra Cure Peace: "I know that it won't be easy, and there'll be lots of bumps along the way! But!" 48 88 royal peace 2.png|Royal Peace: "Okay, Spring! Whatever it is we're not supposed to leave on the field, WE WON'T!!" 48 89 ultra cure sunny 2.png|Ultra Cure Sunny: "When we fin'lly pull through, we realize jus' how important smiles really are!" 48 90 royal sunny 2.png|Royal Sunny: "I've had enough of this Emperor Gasbag! Let's knock his block off once and for all!" 48 91 ultra cure happy 2.png|Ultra Cure Happy: "And we will never, ever forget the meaning behind those smiles! And we will never... EVER GIVE UP THE FIGHT!!" 48 92 royal lucky 2.png|Royal Lucky: "We've gotta win this fight, no matter what! 'Cause this time, more than ever... the world's counting on us! So let's hit 'im with all we've got!" Pierrot/Nogo increases the power of his beam, which almost absorbs Miracle Rainbow Burst. The dub adds dialogue where Lucky says, “You wanna bet!?” 48 93 pierrot beam 4.png|Pierrot: "Silence! I shall crush you and all you hold dear!" 48 94 nogo beam 4.png|Nogo: "'All you've got' is no match for the power of DARKNESS!!" 48 95 pierrot beam 5.png 48 96 nogo beam 5.png|Royal Lucky: "You wanna bet!?" The group then shouts their catchphrase. It should be noted that Emily sounds kinda stupid when she says, “Shining briii~iii~iiiight!” 48 97 ultra cure happy 3.png|Ultra Cure Happy: *GRUNTS* "SPAAAAARKLLLLLLLE!!!" 48 98 royal lucky 3.png|Royal Lucky: "Shining briii~iii~iiii~IGHT!!" 48 99 ultra cure beauty 3.png|Pretty Cure and Royale Candy: "SMILE PRETTY CURE!!" 48 100 royal breeze 3.png|Glitter Force and Queen Candy: "Here comes the Glitter Force!!" 48 101 ultra cure peace 3.png 48 102 royal peace 3.png 48 103 ultra cure sunny 3.png 48 104 royal sunny 3.png 48 105 royale candy 4.png 48 106 queen candy 4.png 48 107 ultra cure happy 4.png|Ultra Cure Happy: *grunts* 48 108 royal lucky 4.png 48 109 japanese miracle rainbow burst 8.png 48 110 english miracle rainbow burst 8.png There is also a shot of March/Spring in there, as well as a shot of Pierrot/Nogo’s eyes. However, the tint is pretty much invisible in non-yellow areas, so those are left out. Anyway, the tinting continues as a giant Happy/Lucky emerges from the wings of the phoenix. If the entire team really fused into one giant version of the lead Cure, then that’s yet another instance of Smile’s climax leeching from Heartcatch’s! 48 111 giant happy 1.png 48 112 giant lucky 1.png 48 113 giant happy 2.png 48 114 giant lucky 2.png|Giant Lucky: *sighs* As Happy/Lucky approaches Pierrot/Nogo, Happy is silent, while Lucky sighs happily. Then, she hugs Pierrot/Nogo, killing him. 48 115 giant happy 3.png|Pierrot: *roars* 48 116 giant lucky 3.png|Nogo: *ROARS* As Pierrot dies, he is calmly confused at how Happy/Lucky can have overcome her despair; as Nogo dies, he is enraged at having been killed “by a smile”. As Happy/Lucky smiles after defeating Pierrot/Nogo, Happy is silent, while Lucky giggles. In the sub, we fade directly to a purified Earth; in the dub, we fade to black and then to Earth. As the de-transformed team looks at the bright blue sky, dialogue is added where Pop remarks that with a smile and a hug, they finally did Nogo in. Then, the Pretty Cure/Glitter Force book floats down to Candy and Pop. The dub adds dialogue where Candy asks Pop how the book ends. Pop says that the book says that Pierrot/Nogo was defeated and everyone lived happily ever after, even the former subordinates. Candy hugs Miyuki/Emily and the two fall over. In the sub, the two just giggle; in the dub, Candy talks about how Nogo reacted when Lucky defeated him and asks if they can get pizza. Then, Candy starts glowing. Pop, who is also glowing, says that it’s time for them to say goodbye. This gets Candy crying and screaming that she doesn’t want to leave. All shots of Candy and Pop glowing are tinted, because bright yellow is bad! 48 117 japanese farewell 1.png|Miyuki: "Candy!?" 48 118 english farewell 1.png|Emily: "Why are you glowing!?" 48 119 japanese farewell 2.png|Candy: "Kuru?" 48 120 english farewell 2.png|Candy: "Huh?" 48 121 japanese farewell 3.png|Pop: "It seems the time has come for us to part." Reika, Yayoi, Miyuki, Akane, and Nao: "Huh?" Candy: "No~kuru! I don't wanna have to go~kuru!" 48 122 english farewell 3.png|Pop: "The time has come for us to return to our world." Chloe, Lily, Emily, Kelsey, and April: "Huh!?" Candy: "Wait, but I don't want to go. What kind of happy ending is that?" 48 123 japanese farewell 4.png|Candy: *SOBS* "No~kuruuu!!" 48 124 english farewell 4.png|Candy: "It's not fair! I don't wanna go! Not yeeeet!" 48 125 japanese farewell 5.png|Pop: "Candy, we have to be mature about this~de gozaru." 48 126 english farewell 5.png|Pop: response to Emily telling Candy not to cry "That's right! Crying doesn't make it any better, Candy!" This tinting lasts through the whole scene, so there’s no point in showing any further screencaps. Miyuki thanks Candy for everything she’s given her, while Emily tells Candy she’s sure they’ll find a way back together. The dub adds dialogue where Candy says Emily’s lying to cheer her up, and then where she says, “Our last group hug…” when the other girls hug her. Then, Candy and Pop float into the sky. Dialogue is added where Candy says she’ll never forget the Glitter Force. Miyuki/Emily then tells her to smile. Miyuki says so because she and Candy promised; Emily does because that’s how they defeated Nogo. As Candy tries to smile, dialogue is added where Emily tells Candy that she has to smile harder. Then, Miyuki tells Candy to take care of Märchenland, while Emily says that Candy has to be strong because she’s the queen of Jubiland. The girls tell Candy they love her (they even call her “Your Majesty” in the dub!), and Candy says goodbye as well before she disappears for good. The dub adds dialogue where the girls say that Candy is being “melodramatic” because there’s no way they’re never going to see her again. The dub then cuts out a scene of the girls crying. Can’t upset the kids, after all. ☹ 48 127 cut crying 12.png|Miyuki: *SOBS* 48 128 cut crying 13.png|Akane: *SOBS* 48 129 cut crying 14.png|Yayoi: *SOBS* 48 130 cut crying 15.png|Nao: *SOBS* 48 131 cut crying 16.png|Reika: *sobs* 48 132 cut crying 17.png|Everyone: *sobs* 48 133 cut crying 18.png|Everyone: *sobs* After the cut scene, a rainbow appears in the sky, and “The Best Smile” plays in the dub. As a reminder, this played in the Japanese episode 44 (36 in the dub), and is sung by the voice actresses of Miyuki, Akane, Yayoi, Nao, and Reika. The dub has no special insert song. Some shots of the city are removed from the dub. 48 134 cut nanairogaoka 1.png 48 135 cut nanairogaoka 2.png 48 136 cut nanairogaoka 3.png We then cut to Akane/Kelsey in volleyball pratice and at her restaurant. Footage of the restaurant is heavily edited. Here’s what’s in the sub: 48 137 akane 1.png|Akane: I'm burstin' with fiery power again today! 48 138 akane 2.png 48 139 akane 3.png|Akane: An' ta top it off, our joint's jus' rakin' in the customers! 48 140 akane 4.png 48 141 akane 5.png 48 142 akane 6.png|Akane: Me 'n my best friends're gonna be takin' every day at full speed from now on! And here’s the dub’s: 48 143 kelsey 1.png|Kelsey: And can practice my kitchen skills! 48 144 kelsey 2.png|Kelsey's father: "You need some help, Kels?" Kelsey: "No way! Just stand back and watch a master at work!" 48 146 kelsey 4.png 48 147 kelsey 5.png|Kelsey: "Ha!" *flips spatulas* "Voila!" 48 148 kelsey 6.png|Kelsey: Yeah, I hate to brag, but the girls and I saved the future, and I can't wait to get to it! *giggles* Over all of this, Akane/Kelsey inner-monologues. Akane says that she’s as fiery as ever, that her restaurant has been doing very well, and that she’s going to go full-speed with her friends by her side; Kelsey says that she can finally get to perfecting her already-perfect Power Spike, that her cooking skills are getting even better, and that she can’t wait to experience the future she saved. In the sub, she continues to monologue over herself arguing with her father; in the dub, the monologue stops for Dad to ask if Kelsey needs help and Kelsey to shout that she doesn’t. We then cut to Yayoi/Lily. Yayoi inner-monologues that her comic won a prize, while Lily thinks that she owes her friends and then tells them to look at her newest comic. The book Yayoi/Lily shows them is painted over, and man does that English cover suck. The Japanese book appears to be a comic magazine (which features several comics that serialize monthly) named Smile. 48 149 smile.png|''Smile'' 48 150 revenge of superbott.png|''REVENGE of SUPERBOTT'' Shots of the inside pages are removed, as well as a shot of Yayoi drawing. The latter is probably due to Saban being too lazy to edit Yayoi's calendar. 48 151 cut comic 1.png|Shounen Smile Manga Contest Rookie Award Judging Results: Big Announcement!! 48 152 cut comic 2.png|☆Honorable Mention☆ Miracle☆Peace by Kise Yayoi "A wonderful miracle" - Ishii Rinka 48 152 cut yayoi.png|Su Mo Tu Over the removed shots, Yayoi inner-monologues that she’s glad she finished the comic and that she’s comitted to doing whatever she puts her mind to. Then, Yayoi/Lily’s mom comes in and surprises her with food. As Yayoi/Lily looks back, text on her calendar is erased. 48 153 yayoi calendar.png|Th Fr Sa 48 154 lily calendar.png Both versions contain a clip where the class celebrates Yayoi/Lily’s award. In the sub, this takes place before the scene with Yayoi/Lily and her mom; in the dub, it takes place afterward. Over this, Yayoi inner-monologues that she's glad she finished Miracle Peace, while Lily inner-monologues that her friends gave her the courage to follow her dreams and Emily says that Goldenlight is amazing. 48 155 class 1.png 48 156 class 2.png Additionally, the dub adds footage from episode 41->33 of Goldenlight winking. 48 157 goldenlight 1.png|Emily: "Goldenlight is a star! Congrats!" 48 158 goldenlight 2.png We then cut to Nao/April. The dub adds a clip of her doing the laundry with her family that’s taken from an earlier episode. 48 159 added april 1.png|April: Life is like a game, and we're all on the same team. 48 160 added april 2.png|April: Family and friends, working together to reach our goals. Both versions show Nao/April playing soccer as her family cheers her on. In the sub, as the scene is shorter, Nao monologues over the entire thing; in the dub, April only monologues over part of it, giving way to her shouting, “Hat trick!”, her family cheering, “We love April, yes we do! We love April, how ‘bout you?”, and April thanking them. Nao monologues that she’s going through life at full speed with her family to cheer her on, and that she’ll keep blazing forward with intense courage and a straight-up bout; April monologues that life is like a game where her family and her share a team, and that both in life and in soccer, they’re working towards their goals. We then see Reika/Chloe. This part, too, is heavily edited. Both scene begin differently, but they both end with Reika/Chloe getting a bullseye and smiling. I’ll show you the parts that changed. Here are the sub’s clips (As you can see, I had to swich subs; my usual website isn’t working): 48 161 reika 1.png|Reika: "My name is Aoki Reika." 48 162 reika 2.png|Reika: "Day in and day out..." 48 163 reika 3.png|Reika: "...I dedicate myself to following the path that I have set." 48 164 reika 4.png 48 165 reika 5.png|Reika: "I will remain true to my feelings and walk with confidence down the path that I believe in." And here are the dub’s clips. They’re quite obviously recycled from episode 37->29, and it’s especially jarring to see Candy present when she’s supposed to be in Jubiland. 48 166 chloe 1.png|Chloe: I've always known the path I should follow. 48 167 chloe 2.png|Chloe: But now I know I know why. It's not just for me... 48 168 chloe 3.png|Chloe: ...but for my friends, for classmates... for others. 48 169 chloe 4.png|Class: *applause* 48 170 chloe 5.png|Chloe: Who knows where the path will take me? 48 171 chloe 6.png|Chloe: All I know is that I'll get to where I'm going." Reika/Chloe monologues over the whole thing. Reika introduces herself and says that she’s blazing a path that she believes in and that will satisfy her own feelings; Chloe says that while she’s always known what path to follow, she now knows the reason to follow it is not just for her sake, but for her family and friends, and that no matter what, she’ll reach her destination. At the very end, in the dub, the monologue stops and we here Chloe giggling in satisfaction at having gotten yet another bullseye. We round it all off with Miyuki/Emily. If you hoped the edting stopped here, you’ve hoped in vain. Shots of the library are removed. 48 172 library 1.png|Miyuki: ''Candy... 48 173 library 2.png|Miyuki: Every time I go to the school library, I always end up thinking about you... Additionally, her inner monologue is heavily changed. In the sub, Miyuki thinks to Candy that she still misses her, but she understands now that with her family and friends, she’ll never be lonely, and that happiness is something to be felt, not searched for. In the dub, Emily says that happy endings aren’t the only things that are important, but that the happy beginnings and middles in everyday life are, too. The dub interrupts the monologue when Emily’s friends are searching for her and has Kelsey exclaim that she found Emily and ask what she’s doing, and Chloe ask if Emily was looking for UFOs. The dub monologue continues after this, with Emily thinking that the only way it could be better is if Candy was with them, but that she’s sure she’ll come back. With a flash of the sun, we cut to Miyuki/Emily’s room. Miyuki/Emily is painting a picture book based on her adventures. Miyuki thinks that she’ll title the book The Greatest Smile, while Emily thinks that if she replicates what she did on her first day of school, Candy will run into her again. Then, the ending theme plays in the sub. Unlike the usual CGI dance ending, the sub plays clips from a bunch of previous episodes as a CGI Cure Happy dances in the lower-left corner. This is entirely cut from the dub. I’d screencap, but there’s so much of it that I don’t want to get into it all. Plus, this article has enough images as is. We then cut to a scene that is suspiciously similar to the beginning of the first episode, with Miyuki/Emily running late for school. Miyuki says pretty much the exact same thing as before (I’m running late for school, wait a corner, maybe a wonderful encounter will happen); Emily kind of does, but she makes it clear that she’s just trying to get Candy to appear again. Then, Candy does appear. In the sub, Candy shouts “Kuuuruuuuu!” twice and then calls Miyuki’s name; in the dub, she shouts, “Hello!”, “Look out below!”, and, “That’s right, it’s me!” Rather than hitting Miyuki/Emily in the face, she hugs her chest, and the two enjoy a tearful reunion. Barely a few seconds after, the other four come running. Akane/Kelsey wonders how Candy returned, and Candy says a new portal appeared after Candy wished on a star. Akane/Kelsey and Nao/April are suspicious that it was that easy, but Candy insists it was. Miyuki/Emily and Candy cry some more, and dialogue is added where Emily tells Candy not to get her crying again and Candy apologizes. Miyuki/Emily and Candy say that they’ll be together forever, and the dub adds dialogue where the other four agree and decide to race each other to the top of a hill. A clip of the girls running is borrowed from the opening. In the sub, the opening theme plays over this; in the dub, the girls shout at each other as they go. In the sub, Miyuki thanks the audience for watching, and everyone says, “Everyone smile and be ultra-happy!” (which is what Miyuki says at the end of every next-episode preview. In the dub, Emily celebrates “the perfect happy ending” and says she doesn’t want this ending to end. The others affirm. Then, everyone shouts, “Shining bright! Here comes the Glitter Force!”, Candy asks if they can get pizza, and Kelsey agrees. The sub ends this shot with a fade to white; the dub ends it with a fade to black. Edit: I'm just writing this now, right before I'm about to publish this article. I've got my usual sub working again, and I found out that at the end of the episode, there's a preview for the next season: Doki Doki! Pretty Cure! Isn't that extraordinary?? End edit. 48 174 doki doki 1.png 48 175 doki doki 2.png 48 176 doki doki 3.png|Mana: "Nice to meet you!" 48 177 doki doki 4.png|Mana: "I'm the student council president of Oogai First Middle School..." 48 178 doki doki 5.png 48 179 doki doki 6.png|Mana: "Aida Mana!" 48 180 doki doki 7.png 48 181 doki doki 8.png|Mana: "E-eeehhh!?" 48 182 doki doki 9.png|Mana: "Why have I become a Pretty Cure!?" 48 183 doki doki 10.png 48 184 doki doki 11.png|Mana: "What is this?" 48 185 doki doki 12.png|Mana: "The heart-throbbing excitement won't stop!" 48 186 doki doki 13.png 48 187 doki doki 14.png 48 188 doki doki 15.png|Mana: "There's a tightening in my chest!" 48 189 doki doki 16.png 48 190 doki doki 17.png 48 191 doki doki 18.png|Mana: "A new show:" 48 192 doki doki 19.png 48 193 doki doki 20.png|Mana: "Doki Doki! Pretty Cure!" 48 194 doki doki 21.png 48 195 doki doki 22.png|Mana: "Starting on Sunday, February 3rd..." 48 196 doki doki 23.png 48 197 doki doki 24.png|Mana: "...at 8:30 A.M.!" 48 198 doki doki 25.png 48 199 doki doki 26.png|Mana: "Reaching out to you! My Sweet Heart!" The sub finishes it off with its usual sponsor card and a final image of our lovely protagonists; the dub ends with the “Glitter Force” remix ending theme and the credits. 48 200 end card.png|''Smile Pretty Cure!'' Everyone have an ultra-happy smile!! And with that, we’re done. Smile Pretty Cure! and Glitter Force have ended. It’s hard to believe that I’m done, but it had to end sometime. Overall: This was a nice season finale. It didn’t reach the heights of 47->39’s EPIC FIGHTS, but not only did we see a worthwhile end to Pierrot/Nogo’s reign of terror, but we also laid witness to one of the most emotional scenes in the series: Candy and Pop having to leave the others. While I very rarely shed tears when watching anime, there are sometimes scenes that make me tear up, and the scene where Candy realized she had to leave was another one. It’s too bad the dub got rid of part of this tearfest. Speaking of the dub… it started out quite good, with the only edits of note being the constant dimming and tinting. However, as soon as we returned to normal, things took a turn for the worse. Not only did they get rid of the girls crying and replaced it with confidence that Candy would surely, most definitely return (because kids just can’t handle emotional scenes, am I right?), but everything after that was extremely heavily edited. I get them removing some Japanese text as well as cutting out the Japanese ending theme (though it would have been cool if the dub had made their own play-by-play recap of the show with one of their ending themes), but overall, there were so many edits for no reason. Finally, you may have heard me compare Smile’s ending to Heartcatch Pretty Cure! a few times, but I omitted the real Pretty Cure piece this show was uncannily similar to: Pretty Cure All Stars DX3. This is the crossover movie that came out right before New Stage, which was included in this sub/dub comparison. You needn’t know all of the details – after all, none of the characters in it show up here outside of New Stage – but its ending is quite similar. First of all, the main villain is a black hole. Second of all, the Pretty Cures are forced to part with their fairy partners, only to meet them again much later. Fans are split on which one is better: DX3 because Smile is a blatant ripoff, or Smile because it focuses on the characters’ lives without the fairies and doesn’t play happy music over the emotional moment. Personally, I found knowing what would happen already detrimental to my enoyment of the emotional scenes, but that in no way means it wasn’t a treat to watch. Now, for my thoughts on the season as a whole. I thoroughly enjoyed this season, just like every other season of Pretty Cure. Smile may not have done much to go outside the typical Pretty Cure tropes, but it bounced around within its constraints so energetically that I couldn’t help but have fun. With funny moments, emotional moments, character growth, and EPIC FIGHTS, this season was a winner. But while the show may be done, the sub/dub comparison is not! As I stated above, I’m still going to review the Smile Pretty Cure! novel, which takes place 10 years after the show. I’ll also review all of the songs associated with Smile Pretty Cure! ''and Glitter Force. After this, I’ll top it all off with my overall thoughts on both versions of this great season of ''Pretty Cure. Originally, I was also going to take a look at the foreign-language dubs of this show before writing my final thoughts, but I’ve found that it’s taking a really long time to do that, so that will be a treat for afterwards. But watch out: even with those evaluations finished, we’re still not done. Pretty Cure is far from finished, and neither are its English dubs. Right after Smile Pretty Cure!, we have Doki Doki! Pretty Cure… and Glitter Force Doki Doki. Man, my excitement is off the hook! I’ll see you there! Next time: The novel!! Ten years after the show, Joker returns to take his revenge… Category:Blog posts